by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. The data below is drawn directly from federal sources.
For incoming students at UWM, 47% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, averaging $7,034 each — a figure that counts both private and federal student loans.
Federal loans alone average $5,120, which is 93.1% of the $5,500 federal limit that applies to a typical first-year dependent borrower. Remember the all-undergraduate figures below leave out private loans, so they will look lower than this private-plus-federal freshman amount.
Across the full undergraduate body at UWM (freshmen included), 44% take out federal student loans, for a typical $6,364 per year. This works out to 24.3% greater than the $5,120 typical freshmen borrow.
Repeating that yearly amount projects to about $12,728 over two years and about $25,456 over a four-year span. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 44% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,364 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 7,453 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $47,434,370 |
The middle borrower at UWM owes $15,250 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $15,250 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $23,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $8,750 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for UWM.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,954 |
| 25th percentile | $6,250 |
| 75th percentile | $28,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $37,367 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at UWM.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for UWM.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 2595 | $15,528 |
| Completed (graduates) | 1343 | $16,149 |
| Did not complete | 1252 | $15,078 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $192.03/mo.
The split below distinguishes Stafford borrowers from non-Stafford borrowers at UWM.
Any-Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 2566 | $15,599 |
| No Stafford loan | 29 | $10,000 |
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 2072 | $15,294 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 523 | $17,245 |
These figures turn the debt totals into a monthly repayment picture for UWM.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. Two-year cohort default-rate data for UWM is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 4.1% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 7134 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $16,500 |
| Middle income | $15,492 |
| High income | $14,750 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $15,625 |
| Continuing-generation students | $14,808 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $15,000 |
| Independent students | $15,954 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at UWM.
Subsidized vs. Unsubsidized Loans
With an unsubsidized loan, interest starts adding up the day the loan is disbursed, including during school. Subsidized loans, by contrast, do not accrue interest while you are enrolled at least half-time, which makes them the less expensive option when you qualify.
Worth Knowing
Federal student loans are not discharged in bankruptcy in all but the rarest cases, and the government can withhold part of your income or tax refund if you default.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.